Department for Transport

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Lord Trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are satisfied with the law which authorises statutory authorities to obstruct the highway for the purposes of repair and maintenance.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Utility street works and highway authority road works, are carried out within the framework of legislation set by New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 and the Traffic Management Act 2004. The overall framework balances the need to ensure the essential repair and maintenance of roads, whilst reducing the disruption that such works can cause. We have, in recent years, continued to improve the framework of secondary legislation and we have approved lane rental schemes, which allow local authorities to charge for works on the busiest roads at the busiest times to reduce congestion. We have also introduced the Street Manager digital service, which is now used by all local highway authorities and utility companies in England to plan and manage works, providing real time, open data on live and planned works.

Bus Services

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Local Transport Authorities committed to establishing Enhanced Partnerships across their entire areas under the Bus Services Act 2017 by the end of June.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: By the end of June 2021, 77 Local Transport Authorities issued a notice of their intention to prepare an Enhanced Partnership Plan and accompanying Enhanced Partnership Schemes.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Facilities

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make more rest stop facilities, such as toilets and wash facilities, available for lorry drivers on the principal UK transport routes.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Lorry drivers play a vital role in keeping Britain moving, and the Government understands the need to ensure adequate facilities are available to them . We have already amended planning guidelines to encourage futher development of facilities and are exploring options for what more could be done.

Transport: Carbon Emissions

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to decarbonise the rail network by 2035, (2) to shift 25 per cent of freight from road to rail by 2030, and (3) to end the sale of fossil fuel-powered ships and decarbonise existing ships by the mid-2030s.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Our recently published ‘Decarbonising Transport: A Better, Greener Britain’ committed to delivering a net zero rail network by 2050, with sustained carbon reductions in rail along the way, and stated our ambition to remove all diesel-only trains (passenger and freight) from the network by 2040. The Government continues to support the modal shift of freight from road to rail due to rail freight’s better environmental performance and its contribution to alleviating congestion on Britain’s roads. The Government committed to setting a growth target in its Transport Decarbonisation Plan, and in the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, however there is no specific target for moving freight from road to rail by 2030. Further details about the rail freight growth target, including timings, will be confirmed in due course and Government will be working closely with industry partners to develop the target. The Government continues to incentivise modal shift through the Mode Shift Revenue Support scheme, a £20 million scheme in 2021/22, which supports the carriage of freight by rail and water on routes where road haulage has a financial advantage. Additionally, the Government invests significantly in the rail network to improve its capability and capacity for freight. Between 2014-2019, the Government invested over £235 million in the Strategic Freight Network and further infrastructure funding is being made available going forward through the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP). The Transport Decarbonisation Plan also sets out our commitment to consult on potential measures to phase out the sale of new, non-zero emission domestic vessels, building on the pathway set out in the 2019 Clean Maritime Plan. Internationally, the UK has played a key role in the development of the International Maritime Organization’s strategy for climate change, and we will be pushing for a zero emissions international shipping industry by 2050 in future negotiations.

Transport: Carbon Emissions

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Scottish Government's Mission Zero for transport decarbonisation policy; and what plans they have, if any, to implement similar policies.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Our Transport Decarbonisation Plan explores many similar themes to the Scottish Government’s Mission Zero and sets out a credible, deliverable pathway to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, as well as delivering transport’s contribution to demanding carbon budgets along the way. We will continue to review the Plan’s progress in light of emerging evidence and have committed to updating it every five years. We will engage closely with Devolved Administrations in delivery of the Plan, respecting areas of devolved competency, as we jointly work towards our shared goals of decarbonising transport across the UK and achieving net zero UK-wide.

Motor Vehicles

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have(1) to reduce kilometres travelled by car by 20 per cent by 2030, (2) to end the sale of fossil fuel-powered cars and vans by 2030, (3) to end the sale of fossil fuel HGVs by 2035, and (4) to introduce road user charges.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Our recently published ‘Decarbonising Transport: A Better, Greener Britain’ committed to delivering the necessary emissions reductions in road transport to reach net zero by 2050. It is not about stopping people doing things. Rather, we want to drive the transition to electric vehicles and put in place a range of alternatives for people to make more sustainable journeys.As part of this, we are phasing out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030, and, from 2035, all new cars and vans must be zero emissions at the tailpipe. We are also consulting on phase out dates for the sale of new non-zero emission HGVs, which includes all fossil-fuelled HGVs, to ensure that our road freight fleet will be zero emission by 2050. The consultation closed on 3rd September and we are now considering responses.Government has no current policy on introducing road user charges. As stated in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, as we move forward with the transition to zero emission vehicles, we will need to ensure that the tax system encourages the uptake of EVs and that revenue from motoring taxes keeps pace with this change, to ensure we can continue to fund the first-class public services and infrastructure that people and families across the UK expect.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Driving Licences

Earl Attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 22 September (HL2684),how many HGV drivers with a group C licence but without a Driver CPC are aged between (1) 18 and 40, (2) 41 and 50, (3) 51 and 55, (4) 56 to 60, (5) 61 to 65, (6) 66 to 70, and (7) 71 to 90.

Earl Attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 22 September (HL2684), how many HGV drivers with a group C+E licence but without a Driver CPC are aged between (1) 18 and 40, (2) 41 and 50, (3) 51 and 55, (4) 56 to 60, (5) 61 to 65, (6) 66 to 70, and (7) 71 to 90.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The table below shows the number of drivers in each age group holding category C or C+E driving entitlement and who do not have a certificate of professional competence as of 18 September. Age GroupsCategory CCategory C+E18 to 4076,69278,05841 to 5051,09540,08151 to 5512,20614,60556 to 606,68814,22561 to 652,5329,05966 to 703261,47671 to 901241,467 149,663158,971

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Cybercrime: Insurance

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many insurance payouts are made annually from thecyber liability insurance scheme.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: This information is not held by the government. The insurance scheme referred to is a commercial arrangement between organisations with a Cyber Essentials certificate and IASME, the operators of the scheme.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

House of Lords Chamber

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker,  further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 16 September (HL2734), and the recommendation of the report of the Select Committee on Procedure of the House, Fourth Report from the Select Committee on Procedure of the House, 4th Report, 1997–98 (HL Paper 144) that "there would be no change in the dress worn by Officers of the House", on what authority the decision to change Table Clerks' uniform was taken.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Decisions on the uniform worn by Table Clerks are matters for the Clerk of the Parliaments as Accounting Officer and employer of staff.The Procedure Committee report referred to was a report about the formal dress for the Lord Chancellor. The report noted that there would be no change in the dress worn by Officers of the House, but this was a statement of fact taken note of by the Committee, rather than a decision of the Committee or the House.The Clerk of the Parliaments is open to conversation with any member about any of his responsibilities.

House of Lords Chamber

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker,  further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 16 September (HL2734), why the decision to change Table Clerks' uniform was made without a report from the Procedure and Privileges Committee and the agreement of the House, as was the case when the Lord Chancellor's uniform was changed in 1998.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The uniform for Table Clerks is not a matter covered by the Standing Orders agreed by the House, or the Companion to the Standing Orders, which the Procedure and Privileges Committee oversees on behalf of the House.The changes made to the Lord Chancellor’s uniform in 1998 were a matter for the Procedure and Privileges Committee and the House, and the Lord Speaker’s uniform is covered by the Companion to the Standing Orders. Having reviewed Procedure and Privilege Committee papers dating back to the 1970s, there is no record of decisions about uniform for Table Clerks being taken by that Committee. The Clerk of the Parliaments, as the statutory employer, is responsible for these decisions, though the Clerk of the Parliaments is of course aware that these matters are of wider concern to members of the House and has emphasised this in recent discussions we have had on this matter.

House of Lords Chamber

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 16 September (HL2734), what is the cost of Table Clerks' full uniform; and what cost estimates were obtained from alternative uniform suppliers.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: While there is no standard cost for a Table Clerks’ full uniform as this depends on a number of variables, including the supplier used and the items required, purchases of full new uniforms in recent years were in the range of approximately £4,700 - £5,700 per person. Incidental repairs and additional items may also be required over the years as uniforms are worn.Estimates for the full uniform were not obtained when the six new gowns were purchased in June 2020 for the additional Table Clerks joining the rota. This was partly because of the known costs from when these had been purchased previously, partly because of the potentially temporary nature of the new Table Clerks’ appointments, and partly because of the impracticality of sending staff to be personally measured for new fitted uniforms during the COVID pandemic when social distancing was still in operation.Given the need to get new Table Clerks on the rota quickly, the decision was taken by the then Clerk of the Parliaments to purchase solicitors gowns instead of the full uniform. The total cost of these six gowns was £1,213.99, but due to an outstanding credit with the supplier the House actually paid £536 in total for the six gowns.

House of Lords Chamber

Lord Blencathra: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker,  further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 16 September (HL2734), whether the House has agreed that decisions on Table Clerks' uniform should be made by House staff rather than Members.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The uniform for Table Clerks is not a matter covered by the Standing Orders agreed by the House, or the Companion to the Standing Orders, which the Procedure and Privileges Committee oversees on behalf of the House.Having reviewed Procedure and Privileges Committee papers dating back to the 1970s, there is no record of decisions about uniform for Table Clerks being taken by that Committee.The Clerk of the Parliaments, as the statutory employer, is responsible for these decisions, though the Clerk of the Parliaments is of course aware that these matters are of wider concern to members of the House and has emphasised this in recent discussions we have had on this matter. The Clerk of the Parliaments is of course open to conversation with any member about any of his responsibilities.

House of Lords Chamber

Lord Blencathra: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker,  further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 16 September (HL2734), what is the cost of (1) six formal uniforms for the additional Table Clerks, (2) the full uniforms that have already been provided to Table Clerks, (3) creating the PeerHub remote voting system, and (4) converting Committee Rooms 2A and 3A to enable hybrid meetings of Grand Committee.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: In 2020 six gowns were purchased for new Table Clerks joining the rota. The total cost of these six gowns was £1,213.99, but due to an outstanding credit with the supplier the House actually paid £536 in total for the six gowns.Table Clerks who joined the rota before 2020 were provided with a fuller uniform. There is no standard cost for this as it depends on a number of variables, including the supplier used and the items required. Purchases of full new uniforms for Table Clerks in recent years were however in the range of approximately £4,700 - £5,700 per person. Incidental repairs and additional items may also be required over the years as uniforms are worn.The cost to the Parliamentary Digital Service of producing the PeerHub remote voting system as set out in the approved business case was £78,683. This was primarily resource cost.The capital cost of converting Committee Rooms 2A and 3A for Hybrid Grand Committee as set out in the approved business case for the project was £150,000, including VAT.

Ministry of Defence

Warships: Repairs and Maintenance

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to stripping laid-up (1) Hunt class, and (2) Sandown class, Mine Counter Measure Vessels and using them as patrol vessels in UK waters.

Baroness Goldie: There are currently no plans to repurpose Mine Counter Measure Vessels for UK Maritime Security duties, which are delivered by a range of assets including Royal Navy vessels assigned to operations within the United Kingdom Marine Area.

Warships: Guided Weapons

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intendto supply the Royal Navy with (1) surface-to-surface, and (2) land attack, missiles to(a)Type 45 destroyers, (b) Type 26 frigates, and (c) follow-on ships.

Baroness Goldie: Type 45 Destroyers are currently supplied with the Harpoon Surface-to-Surface Guided Weapons (SSGW) system when operational demands require. In the future, there is no intent to continue to fit a SSGW system to Type 45 Destroyers. The current intent is that the Type 26 Frigate will be fitted with Future Cruise Anti-Ship Weapon Systems, which include a land attack capability.We continue to scope options for the next generation of SSGW system, alongside wider lethality requirements, allowing us to deliver on the commitments outlined in the Integrated Review. No final decisions have yet been made.

Australia: Warships

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the difficulties associated with incorporating Australian radar systems and United States combat systems into the Hunter class frigates that the UK and Australia are designing and building have been resolved.

Baroness Goldie: Her Majesty's Government does not comment on the progress of another sovereign nation's defence programme and is therefore unable to provide a response to this question.

Australia: Warships

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the agreement with Australia to cooperate on building Type 26 and Hunter class frigates has been amended since it was signed.

Baroness Goldie: The agreement (Memorandum of Understanding) between Her Majesty's Government and the Government of Australia, to share information on the Hunter Class and Type 26 Frigate Programmes, has not been amended since it was signed in October 2020.

Army: Reserve Forces

Lord De Mauley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many serving major generals there are in the Army Reserve, listed by name and post; and how many there will be after implementation of the Integrated Review.

Baroness Goldie: As at 1 July 2021, there are five trained FR20 Reserves of Paid Rank Major General. These are: Major General Brooks-Ward - Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Reserves and Cadets). This is a Joint Competition appointment and could also be filled by the RN or RAF if selected by the Senior Appointments Committee. Major General Graham - Director Reserves, Army Headquarters. Major General Harvey - Deputy Commander Field Army. Major General Ashmore – Army Reserve Reinforcement Group Major General Herbert - Army Reserve Reinforcement Group Notes/ Caveats: 1. The Trained FR20 population in the table consists of Group A Army Reserves, some Sponsored Reserves and those personnel serving on FTRS contracts who were previously Army Reservists.2. The figure above includes Major Generals that contribute towards the previously defined FR20 population and excludes those personnel who do not. E.g., those Reservists on service complaint panels and the Governor of Edinburgh Castle.3. Figures are as at 1 July 2021 in line with the protocols for release of personnel statistics. Detailed plans for the future structure of the Army are still being refined. There will be announcements made on our intent for both the regular and reserve force in due course.

Armed Forces: Large Goods Vehicle Drivers

Earl Attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) regular, and (2) reserve, members of the Armed Forces hold (a) a group C HGV licence, and(b) a group C + E licence.

Baroness Goldie: The table below shows a count of Service Personnel by HGV Licence type. One person can hold more than one licence. The grand totals are distinct counts of Service Personnel.LicenceRegularReserveSP CountCat C + E1,5902901,880Cat C3,3204903,810Grand Total3,8806504,520 Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid systematic bias. Totals have been rounded independently and may not equal the sum of their rounded parts.